Nick Bourgeau ran along Riverside Drive in a navy blue bathrobe with a bright candy cane Christmas blanket draped around his neck.

The Detroiter was one of more than 27,000 people taking part in the 38

th

annual Detroit Free Press Talmer Bank Marathon Sunday morning. About 2,100 Canadians took part in the marathon, half marathon, or team relay.

“The idea is you go to the Salvation Army and buy a bunch of stuff you can throw to the ground,” Bourgeau said of his unusual race attire.

With early morning temperatures hovering around 5 C he hadn’t quite reached the point where he wanted to shed the fuzzy robe.

Nadia Barzotto of Windsor, ON holds a sign to get runners in a good mood while running along the Detroit River in Windsor, ON during the 38th Annual Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015. photo credit: Ryan Garza of the Detroit Free Press

Bourgeau took a break along Riverside Drive to take in some music from a local band that set up a portable stage on the front lawn of a Riverside and Askin Avenue home.

The band flipped on the power and started cranking out the tunes around 6 a.m., as soon as they saw handcyclists heading down the race route.

“We’ve done the marathon for the last three years,” said 16-year-old Frankie Phillips, who was rocking out on stage as lead singer of Fall of Day, along with bandmates Matt Taiariol, Tristan St. Amour and Lucas Gregetz. “As soon as we see them at California (Avenue) we start and we keep playing until it ends.”

Related

The route begins and ends in downtown Detroit, travelling over the Ambassador Bridge, along the river and through the Detroit Windsor Tunnel. Portapotties and cheering squads were stationed along the route, some crowded with long line-ups as marathoners took breaks on their three- or four-hour journey.

“I’m from South Africa and there’s a marathon there and everyone does this sort of stuff,” Williams said. “It’s almost for selfish reasons. Everyone is so grateful and it’s a lot of fun.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” one woman said as she slowed to grab a wedge. “Thank you so much.”

Bourgeau said he was sightseeing as he listened to the band, feeling no sense of urgency to reach the tunnel. “I’m a guitar teacher so I stopped to see these guys.”

All the participants who cross from Detroit into Windsor over the Ambassador Bridge have to make it to the tunnel by 9:30 a.m.

Despite the time constraints Phillips had several people pause and start dancing in front of the stage.

Steve Gregetz wore earmuffs as he stood nearby supporting his son Lucas on stage.

“It’s amazing to see so many people get involved in a healthy event,” Steve said. “At this point they need a little boost,” he said of the music and the Vitamin C.

Over near the corner of Goyeau Street and Park Avenue, sweatshirts and gloves littered the ground as runners prepared to enter the tunnel and head back to the U.S. side of the 26.2-mile (42-kilometre) loop.

David Campbell boosted the spirits of the last weary athletes fighting to reach the tunnel before time ran out and the border crossing reopened to motorized vehicles.

Positioned near the corner of Goyeau and Park, Campbell blasted out tunes on a portable sound system and tossed around some light-hearted banter.

“I’m going to slow it down now so you can waltz,” he said.

Campbell got up at 4:30 a.m. to make the drive in from his Leamington home.

Dave Orshinsky, one of the organizers on the Canadian side, asked for his help.

“He needed someone to stand on the corner and act like an idiot for two hours so he called me,” said Campbell who has run the Free Press marathon himself in the past.

Twenty-four-year-old Zachary Ornelas, of Ann Arbor, won the marathon in 2:20.22. Forty-four-year-old Lyubov Denisova, of Russia, won the women’s race in 2:41.39.

Patrick McNamara, 48, from Chatham, came first among Canadian men with a time of 2:48:47. Stephanie Moracci, 34, from Leamington, came 19th among all women running the marathon, at 3:13:35.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.